'Away with that stake, away with those brands, And loose our comelye queene: I am come to fight with Sir Aldingar, Forth then stood Sir Aldingar; He laughed, and scoffed, and turned his backe, 'Now turne, now turne thee, Aldingar, I trust that I shall avenge the wronge, The boye pulld forth a well good sworde The first stroke stricken at Aldingar Stand up, stand up, thou false traitòr, For and thou thrive, as thou beginst, A priest, a priest, sayes Aldingar, A priest, a priest, sayes Aldingar, I wolde have laine by our comlie queene, Then I thought to betraye her unto our kinge, There came a lazar to the kings gates, I tooke the lazar upon my backe, Then ranne I to our comlye king, Forgive, forgive me, queene, madame, Nowe Christ forgive thee, Aldingar, Here take thy queene, our King Harryè, For never had a king in Christentye, King Harrye ran to claspe his queene, Then turnd to look for the tinye boye:- But first he had touchd the lazar man, The lazar under the gallowes tree [Stanza 18. Of the 'grype,' or 'griffin', Sir John Mandeville, in his Voyage and Travalle,' (Ed. 1725, London, 8vo,) gives the following veritable account: In that Contree ben many Griffounes, more plentee than in ony other Contree. Sum men seyn, that thei han the Body upward, as an Egle, and benethe as a Lyoun: and treuly thei seyn sothe, that thei ben of that schapp. But o Griffoun hathe the body more gret and is more strong thanne 8 Lyouns, of suche Lyouns as ben o this half; and more gret and strongere, than an 100 Egles, suche as we han amonges us. Foro Griffoun there will bere, fleyinge to his nest, a gret Hors, or 2 Oxen Yoked togidere, as thei gon at the plowghe. For he hathe his Talouns so longe and so large and grete, upon his Feet, as thoughe thei weren Horne of grete Oxen or of Bugles or of Kyzn, so that men make Cuppes of hem, to drynken of: and of hire Ribbes and of the Pennes of hire Wenges, men maken Bowes fulle stronge, to schote with Arwes and quarelle.' The reader will and a very learned and highly-interesting summary of the opinions of writers, ancient and modern, on this subject, in the Encyclopædia Metropolitana; Art., Griffons."] Childe Maurice. ['This is the set of the ballad to which Dr. Percy refers, as occurring in his folio MS., under the title of Childe Maurice;' and it has been printed by Mr. Jamieson, in his collection from that MS. with minute fidelity, who thereby hath conferred no small favour on the lovers of ancient song. As it is not only a curious version withal, but likewise peculiarly illustrative both of the sets which have gone before, and of that one which gives a title to this prolix argument; it is to be hoped that no apology will be necessary for presenting it here to the reader, more especially as the valuable collection from which it is extracted hath not been so well received by the world as its merits deserve.'-MOTHERWELL.] CHILDE MAURICE hunted ithe silven wood he hunted it round about & noebody y' he found theren nor noebody without and tooke his silver combe in his hand to kembe his yellow lockes he says come hither thou little footpage y' runneth lowly by my knee ffor thou shalt goe to John Steward's wiffe & as it ffalls out many times as knotts been knitt on a kell or merchantmen gone to leave London either to buy ware or sell and grete thou doe y' ladye well ever so well ffroe mee and as it ffalls out many times as any harte can thinke as schoole masters are in any schoole house writting with pen and inke ffor if I might as well as shee may this night I wold with her speake & heere I send a mantle of greene as greene as any grasse and bid her come to the silver wood & there I send her a ring of gold a ring of precyous stone and bid her come to the silver wood let for no kind of man; one while this little boy he yode another while he ran until he came to John Steward's hall I wis he never blan and of nurture the child had good he ran up hall & bower ffree and when he came to this lady ffaire sayes God you save and see I am come ffrom Childe Maurice a message unto thee & Childe Maurice he greetes you well & ever soe well ffrom me and as it falls out oftentimes as knotts been knitt on a kell or merchant men gone to leeve London either to buy or sell & as oftentimes he greetes you well as any hart can thinke or schoolemaster in any schoole wryting with pen and inke & heere he sends a mantle of greene as greene as any grasse & he bidds you come to the silver wood to hunt wth child Maurice & heere he sends you a ring of gold a ring of precyous stone he prayes you to come to the silver wood let for no kind of man now peace now peace thou litle fotpage ffor Christe's sake I pray thee ffor if my Lo heare one of those words thou must be hanged hye John Steward stood under the castle wall & he wrote the words every one & he called unto his horsse keeper make readye you my steede and soe he did to his Chamberlaine make ready then my weed & he cast a lease upon his backe & he rode to the silver wood & there he sought all about about the silver wood & there he found him Child Maurice sitting upon a blocke wth a silver combe in his hand kembing his yellow locke he sayes how now how now Child Maurice alacke how may this bee but then stood by him Child Maurice & sayd these words trulye I do not know your ladye he said if that I do her see ffor thou hast sent her love tokens more now then 2 or 3 for thou hast sent her a mantle of greene as greene as any grasse & bade her come to the silver wood to hunt wth Childe Maurice and by my faith now Childe Maurice the tane of us shall dye now by my troth sayd Child Maurice & that shall not be I but he pulled out a bright browne sword & dryed it on the grasse & soe fast he smote at John Steward I wis he never rest then hee pulled forth his bright browne sword & dryed itt on his sleeve & the ffirst good stroke John Steward stroke Child Maurice head he did cleeve & he pricked it on his sword's poynt went singing there beside and he rode till he came to the ladye ffaire |